WEST POINT — The front glass of the old Craftmaster building in downtown West Point will be filled with art designed by local elementary school artists until the holidays are over.

Local students from W.O. Lance Elementary and LaFayette Lanier Elementary have been working hard on local pieces for those in the Greater Valley Area’s viewing pleasure just in time for the Valleywide Christmas Parade Thursday.

Tawana Henson, W.O. Lance Elementary School art teacher, said the theme for the second and third graders was “The Joy of Christmas.”

“I just left it up to them to do what they wanted as long as it had to do with Christmas,” she said. “It is really a thrill for them to have their work on display.”

The only restrictions the students faced were that the art had to be on an 11 and half-inch by 8-inch canvas, and it had to be about the holidays.

Suzie Britt, who taught third and fourth graders at LaFayette Lanier Elementary, said several of the students first thought about Santa Claus, but then Christmas cards and stockings started to make appearances.

“They all used their own imagination and own ideas with the theme,” she said. “They are just a pleasure to work with and they are always so enthusiastic about this project.”

The two teachers worked with Thea McElvy, president of West Point Fine Arts, to display the art for the public.

Henson said not every student will have the ability to excel in academics or athletically, so this is an opportunity to showcase their ability.

“Where they may not be good at something else, they may have a knack for art,” he said. “This may be the only exposure they get to show off their accomplishments.”

Britt said she excited about the opportunity to once again work with West Point Fine Arts, as she is consistently looking for ways to show her student’s art around the area.

“It is a big deal to them, and it is to me too,” she said. “Any opportunity to grow is a good thing.”

Britt said any time several of the cities in the area — Lanett, Valley, LaFayette and West Point — can get together on a project, it’s good for everyone involved.

“Anything we can do together is bigger and better than what we can do alone,” she said.